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The Vault: Vintage WWF Event Used Turnbuckle Pad

October 29, 20202820 views2

It’s time once again that we open up the Action Pak’d Vault and share some rare collectibles with you all. Today we are looking at one of my rarest WWF items in my collection – a ring/event used turnbuckle pad from Summer Slam 1992 which was held in Wembley Stadium.

There are a few things to note before we move along. This is a 100% authentic ring used pad from the days when WWE was known as WWF, in the 90’s era. There is no exact proof that was from Summer Slam as it’s nearly impossible to screen match but there is a faded marking on the back side of the pad towards the bottom that faintly reads “SS/92/WS” which, after speaking with several collectors, has lead me to believe it is from said event.  Take that for what you’d like, not trying to make any claims here 🙂 The mystery of what and how many matches this has seen is fun on its own.

In the summer of 1992 WWF was expanding its global dominance and breaking attendance records with their PPV events. On August 31st, 1992 WWF put on a record breaking show live from Webley Stadium in London, England with Summer Slam 92′.  This event has many classic matches with the main event of Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog.

This match has many layers to it with the Bulldog being Bret’s real life brother-in-law as well as the hometown favorite. In the end Bret lost the title in a classic wrestling matchup and the London based crowd loved it.

What is a turnbuckle pad? Good question. In the construction of wrestling rings, the ring ropes meet at joints in the 4 corners. Those joints are made up of thick metal loops in which the ring ropes are fed through. The turnbuckle pad covers that area to avoid injury. If you have watched classic matches from the past I’m sure you’ve seen “villain’s” take off the pad to slam their opponents head against it for added measure. Yes, when I first got it I did hit my head against it – how could you not?!

This turnbuckle is made from a thick, almost felt + cotton mixed material that is tightly stretched over the inside foam padding. Just looking at it really emotes nostalgia with the vintage deep blue color and the classic (and best in our opinion) WWF golden logo sewn on top. When I first got this around 1998 or so it was heavily bent, showing use from being tightly tied to a ring post. Over time I gradually removed most of the crease and it’s only really visible from the back side.

The top and bottom portions of the pad have brass/metal rings that were used to tie string through to attach on the ring post. If you were a wrestling fan of the late 80’s and 90’s then im sure you recognize this iconic piece of history which can also be seen in various screen shots from the events as well as other WWF events of that era.

If you are wondering how I obtained this – I purchased it from a seller in Chicago who’s family used to work as a WWF overseas crew many years ago, doing catering or security (can’t remember exactly). While some may consider this an “odd” collectible, it brings back such memories of classic WWF days past and holds a special place in the collection vault at Action Pak’d.

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